The present invention relates to a protective knee pad construction, and more particularly, to individual knee pads which are constructed to accommodate the left knee or right knee of an individual.
Protective pads are used by various individuals, for example, construction workers, mechanics, sportsmen, and others, who find it necessary to protect their body parts as a result of their work or activities. Tradespersons, such as carpenters, use knee pads when kneeling on hard surfaces which is a common requirement in their craft. Traditional knee pads comprise rigid pad members that are fitted over the knee and held by attachment straps both above and below the knee.
Improved knee pad constructions have been proposed from time to time, including the knee pad construction set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,350 for a Molded Knee Pad Construction in the name of McFarlane. Various other patents disclose knee pad constructions including Nierhaus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,240 for a Kneepad; Hefling, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,261 for a Protection Joint Guard; Dancyger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,689 for a Protective Knee Pad Having a Single Piece Cupping Means and Stitch Receiving Groove; and Gongea, U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,955 for a Knee Pad for Athletes.
While such knee pads are highly useful, they do not take into account the fact that the left knee of each individual has a distinct shape relative to the right knee of that individual. There are differences, for example, between the shape of the left kneecap relative to the right kneecap, or patella. Although the size of a kneecap and knee may vary from person to person, the general shape and location of the left kneecap and the right kneecaps are very similar from person to person.
Most knee pads, however, are universal in size and in shape and are considered interchangeable with respect to the right and left knees of an individual. As a consequence, the left and right knees of an individual, which are somewhat asymmetric, will not necessarily be accommodated uniformly by a typical, prior art universal knee pad construction. Thus there has developed a need to provide knee pads that accommodate the left and right hand knees of an individual and further to provide knee pads to accommodate knees having variable size, even though the general shape and outline of the respective left and right knee are similar from individual to individual.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a knee pad construction which includes a generally rigid, molded outer, protective shell or pad having a convex outside shape and a concave inside shape. A resilient toroid member or insert pad is fitted or otherwise incorporated within the concave inside or interior side of the knee pad. In a preferred embodiment, a toroid member includes an opening or reduced thickness in the center for receiving and supporting the kneecap, or knee, of an individual. The shape of the toroid member may be asymmetric, or the toroid member or insert pad may be strategically placed in the shell to accommodate the left or the right knee of an individual as the case may be. Thus, the inserts are designed to provide greater support in the region, or area surrounding the kneecap and to accommodate the unique shape of the right knee or the left knee, as the case may be, by providing a separate, unique knee pad for the right knee and separate, unique knee pad for the left knee. In the preferred embodiment, a fabric or mesh cover fits over the toroid member or insert and is stitched or attached into the interior of the molded knee shell over the insert. Radially extending straps are utilized to attach and hold each knee pad in position on an individual.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved knee pad construction.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a knee pad construction wherein a toroidal shaped insert or pad is provided within the interior surface or inside of the molded, outer protection knee pad shell to accommodate the left or the right knee of an individual.
A further object of the invention is to provide a knee pad construction with enhanced comfort and wearability and with a rugged construction that is economical to manufacture.
Another object is to provide a unique knee pad for the left knee and a unique knee pad for the right knee.
These and other objects, advantages and feature of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.